purfly en · ADJ
Etymology
From purfle + -y.
Meanings
-
(archaic, rare) Wrinkled.
[T]hree of the boys, of whom Mr. Hector was sometimes one, used to come in the morning as his humble attendants, and carry him [Johnson] to school. […] The purfly, sand-blind lubber and blubber, with his open mouth, and face of bruised honeycomb; yet already dominant, imperial, irresistible!
1832 May, Thomas Carlyle, “[James] Boswell’s Life of [Samuel] Johnson”, in R[alph] W[aldo] E[merson], editor, Critical and Miscellaneous Essays: […], volume III, Boston, Mass.: James Munroe and Company, published 1839, →OCLC, page 147:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most purfly | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more purfly | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Synonyms
wurly · rugous · wrinkly · rugate · rimpled · wurlie · wrinkled · pruny · wrinkly · bewrinkled · ruckly · purfly · crinkly · rumpled · bewrinkled · rugose · wrinklesome · lined · rouched · writhled · creased · rugose